Rafael Correa, the former president of Ecuador (2007-2017), bid an emotional farewell to the country on Twitter before leaving for Belgium, where he is moving with his family.

“The day has come, my dear Nation. I must go. We leave behind a transformed country which is still progressing,” Correa wrote on Twitter, where he has over 3 million followers.Young Ecuadoreans in tears as Correa leaves

Correa, whose tenure was marked by his socialist project, “Citizen’s Revolution,” added “that which has been sown is so deep that…nothing mediocre or disloyal will remain. The country has a collective memory and intelligence. Always toward victory.”Correa faces the media at the airport

The former leader is moving to Belgium, the country of origin of his wife, Anne Malherbe. He left Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport on a commercial flight, where hundreds of supporters bid him farewell.And some of the crowd burst into tears.

Correa, who saw advances in education, healthcare, and fighting poverty, was the longest ruling president in Ecuador since it returned to democracy in 1979.

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